Manchester

We had a lovely weekend in Manchester visiting Simon. Traffic was dreadful almost all the way so the journey took a lot longer that we planned and consequently it was a bit of a scramble to get to Mass on time - not helped by the fact that Manchester City Council (or whatever they are called) have decided to do a lot of re-surfacing work in the middle of town and several roads were closed - and being Manchester, of course it was raining too! Never mind.

We've taken to going to Mass at St Mary's, (the Hidden Gem) in the middle of city. If you are ever in Manchester it is well worth a visit for the magnificent interior. They don't like you taking photos but you'll find lots of lovely photos on the website here.

After Mass we had a lovely meal in a nearby restaurant serving meals from all over Asia (or so it seemed!)

Then to the theatre for a very good production of Antigone at the Royal Exchange Theatre - so much 'angst' and all that shouting! - I don't know how the cast manage 8 performances a week and still have any voices left!

The auditorium itself is a very modern 'capsule' within the lovely old building and the architecture works very well - the beauty of the original building remains intact and the modern structure within blends well and doesn't detract at all from the rest of the surroundings.

The pictures are just taken with my phone's camera so are not terribly clear but I think you can get the general idea.